July 25, 2013 06:15 PM CDTJuly 25, 2013 06:15 PM CDTCowlishaw: The Stars getting back on map quickly, but let's not get ahead of ourselves

Cowlishaw: The Stars getting back on map quickly, but let's not get ahead of ourselves

1/12

Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

STARS' 2013-14 SCHEDULE HIGHLIGHTS: The Dallas Stars get to show off their new uniforms, new personnel and popular Ice Girls on Oct. 3, 2013, when they host the Florida Panthers to open the season. Here are some other important dates on the schedule to note.

Columnist Tim Cowlishaw held a chat on Thursday. Here are some highlights.

James
Patrick said there was a positive buzz about the Stars that attracted him to Dallas. I know that's PR,
but do you get that sense from your readings and travels? Thanks.

In general, yes, the Stars are viewed as a team that is
getting back on the map quickly. They appear to have a fair amount of prospects
to draw from following this draft. Now let's not get ahead of ourselves. Even
if everything goes well -- and I mean everything -- and this team returns to
the playoffs for the first time in six years, is it possible Kari Lehtonen
comes up short? Sure it is. He has been outstanding at times here but he has
almost no playoff experience except for getting knocked out of a couple games
in Atlanta. So
we're not making room for banners yet -- and that's just one example of things
that could go wrong. Their best defenseman, Sergei Gonchar, is 39. Keep that in
mind, too. But with the owner, GM and coach now in place, this team has a
chance to get back into the discussion in the Western Conference.

Have fond memories of
Bill Guerin? He's going into the US Hockey Hall of Fame. He's
actually one of the best free agent pickups this city has seen but probably not
as well known.

I like Bill Guerin but I'm going to stop way short of
calling him one of the best free agent pickups. He was here three years and the
third year amounted to very little (13 goals, 40 points). He was good his first
two years here. He's an interesting guy in that he was a power forward who
played on top lines in Edmonton,
New Jersey and here and yet never
had a 70-point season. But he brought some toughness to the team and had two
decent scoring years for Dallas.by Tim Cowlishaw 11:24 AM

To post a comment, log into your chosen social network and then add your comment below. Your comments are subject to our Terms of Service and the privacy policy and terms of service of your social network. If you do not want to comment with a social network, please consider writing a letter to the editor.